Revamped infield turns Rays around

MIKE BERARDINO COMMENTARY

Defense has gone from butchers to wizards.

MIAMI GARDENS — Yes, that really was Rob Reiner wearing a supersized Marlins jersey and throwing out the first pitch before Tuesday night's Citrus Series showdown.

No, the noted political activist wasn't in town to throw his support behind the mock Ramirez/Uggla '08 campaign. Nor, alas, was he trying to negotiate a Super Saturday booking for his old friends, Spinal Tap.

Turns out the esteemed actor/director has spent the last nine years visiting major league ballparks with his grown son, Jake. After seeing Nationals Park on Monday, the Reiners made it to this 6-4 Rays win at Dolphin Stadium to complete their own bucket list of sorts.

That makes 34 parks for the father-son combo, yet it's doubtful they've seen many better defensive teams - or smaller crowds - on that tour than the one they saw here.

Not talking about the Marlins, of course. The Fish, bless their hearts, take extra infield before most home games, but they still find themselves with the majors' worst fielding percentage and second-highest error total (66).

Instead, it's the equally surprising Rays who seemingly have a more sustainable formula for success.

See, the Rays don't just pitch, they catch the ball, too. Pretty good combination.

Just ask the 2003 Marlins and any number of other World Series champions through the years.

"I've never had this kind of defense behind me," Rays closer Troy Percival said recently. "This is unbelievable fun."

Percival, of course, spent the bulk of his career with the Angels, who are only the most fundamentally sound club in the majors, year in and year out.

Yeah, I know, the Rays had their troubles in the field on this night.

They actually botched a couple of sure outs on successive pitches in the fourth inning, but those were both due to rookie third baseman Evan Longoria losing popups in our substandard lights.

The first one allowed pitcher Scott Olsen to drive in the tying run, making him just the 22nd runner to reach on a Rays error this year, but Hanley Ramirez failed to take advantage of his second chance when his foul ball dropped untouched.

Neither play drew an error ruling, nor initially did the one three innings later when Carl Crawford failed to corral Jorge Cantu's gapper as Jeremy Hermida scored from first.

Still, those had to be stunning moments for the Rays and their architects, who had seen one of the game's youngest clubs make just 36 errors, fewest in the majors.

"It's definitely been a big part of our success, but it's certainly not unexpected," Gerry Hunsicker, Rays vice president of baseball operations, said recently. "It was by design."

A year ago, in losing 96 games, the Rays ranked dead last in team defensive efficiency, which measures the ability to turn balls in play into outs.

"We weren't real good," said Hunsicker, the former Astros general manager who provides sage advice to young executive Andrew Friedman. "We had question marks at virtually every infield position, especially up the middle."

This year they rank third in defensive efficiency. (The Marlins are 18th.)

How did the Rays do it? How did they go from butchers to wizards with the leather?

All it took was a major reconstruction of the infield, thanks to an overlooked trade piece (shortstop Jason Bartlett) and a dazzling rookie (Longoria) who hit the scene well ahead of schedule, enabling Aki Iwamura to shift from third to second.

"That was one of the priorities going into the offseason," Hunsicker said.

"Over the winter it was really a revamp of the entire infield. Now we've got as good a defensive infield as any in baseball."

Bartlett, the Rays wisely determined, was as much a must-have in the deal that sent Delmon Young to the Twins as prized young right-hander Matt Garza.

Put it all together, and you have an athletic young group of fundamentally sound pieces that is the envy of the game. Including, perhaps, the Marlins' front office as well.

"You can't win without a good defense," Hunsicker said.

"Pitching and defense go together. If you're going to try to improve one, you have to improve the other."